LIVE: Saints vs. Falcons updates
Saints vs. Falcons in Week 14 is one of the better "Thursday Night Football" games of the 2017 season, if not the best. The result will have a direct impact on the NFL playoff picture, as New Orleans has a chance to clinch a postseason berth this week, help from other teams permitting.
Thursday night's Saints-Falcons game, set to kick off at 8:25 p.m. ET and air on NBC and NFL Network, also will be available via live stream through Amazon Prime Video. With four games to go in the regular season, New Orleans (9-3) leads the NFC South by one game over Carolina (8-4) and two games over Atlanta (7-5). However, the Falcons finish with four consecutive division games — including two against the Saints — and both New Orleans and Atlanta are in control for the division title.
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New Orleans running backs Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram have combined for at least 200 scrimmage yards in five consecutive games. During that span, the duo has combined for 1,243 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns. On Atlanta's side, quarterback Matt Ryan in his past six games against New Orleans has completed 162 of 229 passes (70.7 percent) for 1,970 yards with 14 touchdowns and one interception for a 115.4 passer rating.
SAINTS VS. FALCONS PICKS:
Against the spread | Straight up
Here is all the info you need to watch Saints vs. Falcons on "Thursday Night Football."
Saints vs. Falcons: Live stream, TV channel, network
Saints vs. Falcons: Live stream | Game Center
Kickoff time: 8:25 p.m. ET
TV networks: NBC, NFL Network
Radio: Sirius/XM channel 88 (Westwood One), 83 (Falcons call), 81 (Saints call)
Thursday night's game in Atlanta will air nationally on NBC and NFL Network. It's the fourth of five Thursday night games that were scheduled to be televised on NBC throughout the season (not including the NFL season-opener) as part of the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" expansion package for 2016 and '17. NBC also televised the Thanksgiving night game between the Giants and Redskins on Thursday, Nov. 23. CBS carried five Thursday night games earlier this year. In addition to CBS and NBC, NFL Network broadcasts every Thursday night game of the season.
Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Heather Cox (field reporter) will call the Saints-Falcons game for NBC on Thursday night in Atlanta. At 6:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network, "TNF GameDay" previews the Saints-Falcons matchup from outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with host Chris Rose and analysts Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin and Steve Smith Sr. At 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, NFL Network and Amazon Prime Video, "Football Night in Atlanta" airs from inside Mercedes-Benz with host Liam McHugh and analysts Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison providing the final say leading up to kickoff between the Saints and Falcons.
Because it won an offseason bidding war, Amazon is providing live streaming services for 10 "Thursday Night Football" games in 2017. Saints vs. Falcons is the ninth of such games, which coincide with the CBS and NBC "Thursday Night Football" broadcast schedules. Amazon also provided a live stream for the Week 3 Jaguars-Ravens game in London. Twitter held the rights to live stream "Thursday Night Football" games in 2016.
"Thursday Night Football" is available in Spanish via SAP (Secondary Audio Program) with René Giraldo and Edgar López calling the action.
NFL PLAYOFF PICTURE:
Current seeding | Clinching scenarios
Saints vs. Falcons: Picks, predictions, odds, point spread
Per Bovada, the Falcons are two-point home favorites, a line that shifted from 1 1/2 in favor of the Saints earlier in the week. The over/under points total was set at 52.
SN's Vinnie Iyer in his Week 14 NFL picks against the spread picked the Saints to beat the Falcons in a close game, 27-24.
SN's David Steele in his Week 14 NFL picks straight up also picked the Saints to beat the Falcons, but in more convincing fashion, 33-21.